Of Stubborn Imps and Irritating Heroes
by Allegrezza
Summary: A year after the end of TP, a certain Twili and Hero have been reunited. The Twilight Princess tries to convince herself that she doesn't need him, while he seems quite intent on proving her very, very wrong. TWO-SHOT, complete
1. Chapter 1

A/N  
Woohoo for my first story here! This is the first part of a two-shot (hopefully). Before we begin, there are a few things you might want to know.

First, the disclaimer. I own nothing. Hyrule and all inhabitants belong to Nintendo. (Except Jiko, a minor fan-character. He is, however, a Twili, so technically his race also belongs to Nintendo. But I digress.)

Secondly, Link is mute in this. Along with various other elements of the story, there may be parts you don't hold to be true about the Legend of Zelda (some I don't even believe- Link isn't usually mute in my stories), so I apologize if something doesn't match up with your opinions. However, on that note, you might find that he 'speaks' a little differently. Further, all of his 'speech' (sign language) is in _italics_.

Thirdly, this little story takes place around a year after TP, and the pairing is Midna/Link. Don't like? Look elsewhere. I'm also assuming they're both around 18 years old, though I honestly have no idea about the aging processes of the Twili.  
If you have any further questions, put them in your review -hinthint- or PM me.  
Enjoy!

* * *

Midna couldn't keep pretending to herself anymore. She was irrecoverably, irresponsibly, and irrefutably attracted to the Hylian Hero-boy, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her teasing, her attempts at distancing herself had failed miserably, even when they had still been fighting to save the world. She had tried to save both of them a world of pain by breaking the mirror of Twilight when she'd left (well, of course, that was only one reason that she did it), but that bothersome princess of Hyrule (Midna smiled softly at the thought of her) had helped the Hero find a different way into the Twilight Realm, one that, though successful, showed no signs of being a two-way trip. Neither she nor Link knew the spell Zelda had used to get him there, so at the moment, there was no return.

Not that, to be truthful, Midna really wanted him to go back. Secretly she was glad that Link was trapped here. With her. For an indeterminable amount of time. Of course, sometimes she felt guilty about feeling that way, but the stupid boy had come here himself, after all. When she'd asked him what in Hyrule possessed him to leave his pretty farm girl to come make a very long visit to the Twilight Realm, he only given that half smile of his and signed that the world of Twilight had much more to explore; he'd already been everywhere in Hyrule. Of course, then she had distorted his words to something perverted and laughed as he blushed and shook his head at her, used to her antics. Even her sharp tongue (which she regretted using as often as she didn't) hardly affected him anymore. He knew her too well, and that frightened her. That frightened her quite a lot.

Admittedly, he had been useful. Coming back to the throne after _someone_ (a certain annoying usurper) tried to turn you into an imp and dethrone you (well, he succeeded but luckily not permanently) was more difficult that one would expect. First, there were a few who had thought to benefit from Zant's rule, those who had been spared being cursed and turned into monsters. They were only sullenly back under her command. There had also been a couple of rebellious uprisings by those who had decided that they didn't want the power to rest in a monarch after what had happened.

The Hylian was surprisingly capable in dealing with all kinds of strife. Link didn't even have to draw a sword to silence fidgety uprisings. At council meetings, one stare of the intense blue gaze he commanded shut down every greedy idiot that thought to speak. Instead of fighting off the ragtag bunches that had used to try and storm the castle (which he was certainly capable of doing), Link had walked into their camps of his own accord and worked among their people, helping them with their petty grievances wordlessly and without complaint or pay until they forgot what they were so angry about. He went through the town and helped rebuild walls and homes and shops, much like Zelda had described him doing in the letter to Midna she had sent with him when he'd first arrived.

Soon half of the realm was whispering of the strange foreign man with the blue eyes that was Midna's personal assistant. The rumors varied in length and truthfulness. Some said he was a spirit conjured by her vast powers, which she found quite flattering. Others said he was a monster she had tamed to her bidding. Still others guessed that he was one of the 'light beings', banished to the Twilight Realm for some unknown reason. Some thought that he he was merely an oddity left behind by the damage Zant had caused. A few even whispered in the castle halls that he was Midna's personal servant, her lover. She always laughed at those and tried to gage Link's expression when he heard someone call him that. Oddly enough, there was never any reaction that she could see; his face just went blank.

Aside from all of that, however, Midna was glad to have him here. With him nearby, for some reason she felt more secure. Even his silent presence during a meal or during downtime was a comfort, which she just attributed to being so accustomed to him since they had traveled together for so long. She was forced to admit she was attached to the boy; she just didn't want to admit how much.

Something that both bothered her and worried her about his presence, however, was that they _never_ mentioned the day she had broken the mirror. They sometimes spoke about the past, but usually only about the queer characters they had met, not the battles they had fought nor the hardships they had borne. She never brought up the mirror, and he never asked why she had broken it. Though she told herself she was only imagining it, it felt as though the topic was a sword hanging over their heads, dangling only by a thin thread.

Another thing that was worrying her currently was that Link never mentioned returning to Hyrule. He didn't say he wasn't going back, but he also didn't say he was. He had indicated to her that he didn't know how to get back, and that had been the end of it. He also didn't speak of his reasoning for coming in the first place, beyond that first and last time she had asked him about Ilia. Still, she couldn't help but feel rather guilty about it, and often asked him if he wanted her to help him research ways to reopen a temporary portal to the light realm. His response was usually a vague shrug and a quick self-dismissal of his person. She had felt content in the fact that she was at least offering him a way home, and tried not to think about it. She was kind of glad he didn't show any desire to go back. Not, at least, until this week.

It had been almost a year since she had reclaimed her throne, and almost eight months that Link had been here. Though it had been in the background for quite some time, these last couple of weeks the senators were starting to get uproarious; they wanted a queen, not a princess on their throne. By some absurd law she could only be a queen if she got married, making her husband the king. Midna found this absolutely ridiculous, and so she had been brushing off their attempts to pressure her into a choosing a suitor. Many of them only wanted the power that came with such a title and grabbed at the opportunity, thus making her even less inclined to choose a husband. She knew it was part of politics, but, as much as she hated to acknowledge it, she was a closet romantic and she had no desire to marry for status. However, they were finally starting to get louder in their complaints, and grudgingly, she started to look into it.

It was also these last two weeks, however, that Link had started acting oddly. Perhaps it had been going on longer, but she hadn't noticed until now. He rarely met her gaze when signing to her, and he fidgeted uncomfortably when she spoke of Hyrule. Six days ago, he had finally brought it up; he made references to wanting to return home. He said it- or motioned it- quite casually, seeming unaffected and apathetic about this decision. She'd felt his eyes on her, however, so she'd shrugged just as casually, saying that if he ever did decide to go home, she'd miss his useful glare but certainly not his manners. They'd both laughed awkwardly and dropped the conversation. However, for the rest of the week, he had asked her if she had ever done any research on portals, used phrases like 'when I return to Hyrule', and wondered about Zelda's health. She never really replied, though she had given him full access to the library and offered to help help him read, since he had trouble with it. He had yet to ask her, which she was grateful for, because honestly, she didn't know what she would do if he did find a way out. As she had finally accepted, she was fond of the boy, and she would miss him as much as she had missed him when she first left Hyrule after their battle with Ganon.

Thus, Midna was left in a rather foul mood. The thought of Link leaving disturbed her, and the fact that it disturbed her disturbed her too. She didn't like this feeling of uncertainty that rose in her every time she looked at him. She liked being in control of things. Her heart wasn't supposed to flutter when his blue gaze rested on her. Her mouth wasn't supposed to smile every time his did. Her eyes were not supposed to follow him everywhere he went in a room. It was highly irregular. Instead of focusing on what her senators were blabbing about during meetings, her mind drifted to the blond-haired blue-eyed boy sitting at her side. (Luckily she'd decreed that the Hero was allowed to go anywhere he wanted, so he attended the meetings with her and caught her up when they were over, after teasing her for dozing off.) She found the weirdest excuses to touch him, talk to him, or even look at him. It was absolutely galling.

Most of all, she didn't like wondering what the Hero thought of her. Was she still that unattractive imp he'd met all that time ago? Was she an annoying friend that he felt duty-bound to help? Was she just an excuse to explore a new place? Why did she care what he thought, exactly? Uncertainty set her on edge.

Therefore, she'd come up with a brilliant plan five days ago- avoid the Hero. She internally winced as she thought about that. Childish perhaps, but what other option did she have? If she didn't start distancing herself now, it would hurt as much as it had the first time when he was gone. (Not that it had hurt too much. Only like a part of her had been torn off. Like a limb. A completely useless limb. Her leg, perhaps. Who needed two of those anyway?) It was going well, actually. She spent a lot of time in her room, like she was doing now, paid more attention during council meetings so that she wouldn't have to ask him about it, and assigned Link's least favorite servant to follow him around to 'cater to his needs'. She grinned a little to herself. Jiko was fascinated about all things Hylian and strange, but also despaired of the Hero's ruffian ways and tried to turn him into a proper, simpering noble. She had asked him to keep his distance for a while to save the Hero's sanity, but she put him back on duty to keep Link away from her. Hopefully, if Link needed anything, Jiko could take care of it without talking his ear off too badly.

She stared out the window of her large, imperial suite and sighed. Before the usurper king Zant, she had loved her position. She was a selfish, greedy ruler. She wasn't cruel to her people, but honestly, she hadn't particularly paid them any mind. The palace was what every little girl dreamed of, and it had never occurred to her that there was something beyond pretty things and fine rooms and fancy parties. Now, the splendor bothered her. She'd had most of it removed from her private areas of the dark castle, but the room still felt cold, empty, and meaningless. The only things she liked about it were the big window and the fact that no one was allowed to bother her here. Which was why, when someone knocked on the door, she jumped up, startled.

She shook her head, composing herself. "Come in," she drawled boredly. Whoever it was better have a good reason for intruding on her only private time. She regretted admitting entrance without asking who it was, however, as the object of her thoughts stormed his way into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.

Though he was a stranger to the Twilight Realm, Link had adapted fairly well. He had taken to wearing the dark robes of the Twili, similar to the ones Zant had used to wear, only less regal and less decorative. The green and white patterns swirled on his clothing, contrasting starkly with his fading tan. The hero kept his belt and his boots on him, however, though she was glad to say that he no longer wore that stupid green hat. Today his arms were free in loose, slitted sleeves, hindered only by the band around his wrist that she had given him the second day he had arrived, a band that marked he had her favor and was free to go wherever and do whatever he wished. He was quickly learning their tongue as well, though everyone who had heard of him knew of his inability to speak. That fact plus his strange coloring gave him enough attention to last a lifetime, even though he had tried to avert some of it by wearing their clothes.

_We need to talk,_ he signed even as he walked into the room.

"Hello to you too," she said dryly. It had taken her a little while to learn his method of communication, but now she knew it like the back of her hand. She could even use it herself, if she wanted to, but she rarely did.

_Why are you avoiding me? _he asked, eyes demanding.

"Avoiding you? Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked, rolling her eyes slightly. He scowled at her, not amused by her games. "I've just been busy. You know, choosing a suitor takes quite a lot of work." she added, to see his reaction. She could have sworn he flinched a little, but his hands were a flash as he responded.

_I'm aware of the difficulties involved in choosing a suitor, _he signed, quickly and irritably. _Zelda went through the same thing. It's not that complicated, Midna._ The symbol for her name was one he'd made up, getting tired of spelling it out though he seldom used it. Though a normal person would've had to use her name to get her attention, the hero boy had merely touched her shoulder, nudged her with the hilt of his sword, or poked her with a paw. A mute person had little use for names, but she had noticed he took care to use a different symbol for everyone's until it became a habit. Now, however, it just felt like he was talking down at her. She scowled at him.

"What would you know about-"

_I was a suitor of Zelda, _he cut her off. She blinked. She hadn't known that.

"Huh?" she asked, not realizing she looked and sounded like an imbecile.

_A couple of her nobles thought it would be a good idea for her to marry Hyrule's Hero. Make the people feel more secure. I was offered a crown after everything was rebuilt, _he told her. His face gave her no sign of what he felt about that.

"You turned down being King of Hyrule?" she asked, gaping at him.

_Obviously, _he said, shooting her a look that told her he thought she was being stupid. _I'm here now, no? _He shook his head. _That's not what I'm here to discuss. _However, she couldn't help that her mind dwelled on this fact that he so casually revealed. She swallowed back the uncomfortable feeling that she knew all too well; jealousy. Zelda was a lovely soul, and though at first she had despised the weak, perfect little princess of Hyrule, their souls had been combined once. She knew now that Zelda was far from weak and was well-worth her respect. Still, she was jealous of the woman. That didn't even make any sense. If Link had wanted to marry the pink princess, why did she care? He could go ahead and do so.

"Oh really, Mr. Royal Suitor? Pray tell what important business brings you to my humble quarters then," she said, dryly. He shot her a look. "Tch, you're in a mood today." He was usually so easy-going. His glare reminded her of the hypocrisy in that statement, and she folded her arms.

_You're avoiding _me, he repeated. _I want to know why, _he signed, looking at her steadily. His eyes were so blue, so different from the colors of the Twili. She looked away from them.

"I'm not avoiding you," she muttered. "If the responsibilities of the Twilight Realm bother you why are you even here?" she asked, tone sharper than she'd intended.

_I could return to Hyrule, _he signed in response, eyes flashing.

"Fine," she said, exhaling. Even if he did decide he wanted to leave, figuring out how would take some time, time that she could use to think this over and decide how to stop him. They could both use the time to cool off. "We'll look into it if that's what you want-" She stopped when she saw him signing again.

_I lied, _he told her flatly. She frowned quizzically, waiting for him to elaborate. _When I said I didn't know how to get back to Hyrule. I lied. I could leave this very instant. _She froze, staring at him. What? He could- could- just go? Just like that? Why the hell hadn't he told her before? Suddenly, she was frightened he would leave her, and she lashed out.

"Nothing's stopping you," she snapped. "Why are you still here if you want to go so badly?"

_Because I need to know something, _he said.

"What?"

_If I left... _He paused in his signing before continuing. _How would you feel? _Miserable, she wanted to shriek at him. I wouldn't let you leave, she wanted to say. Instead, she laughed, forcedly.

"How would I feel? What kind of question is that?" She waved a hand. "I don't know... you are kind of useful to have around,"she said, shrugging a shoulder off-handedly. His eyes narrowed angrily.

_That's not what I meant, _he was signing, but she pretended not to notice and missed the rest.

"Don't worry about me, Hero-boy. I'll be perfectly fine. Go ahead and skip on home to your princess." She turned away from him, as he tried to sign her name. "What was that? I can't quite hear you," she murmured snidely, without thinking, and she knew she had gone too far. Suddenly, she saw him move out of the corner of her eye, and a second later she was pinned between him and the window-seat, his blue eyes glaring into hers with an intensity that made her lose her breath.

In that instant, Midna was painfully aware that she had been horribly wrong; the Hero was not a boy to be toying with and she was not attracted to him. She was irresponsibly, irrefutably, and irrecoverably not attracted to, but consumed by this _man. _It didn't matter that he'd only been an adult for a year. It didn't matter that she constantly teased him and sometimes he still blushed like a adolescent. It didn't even matter that he was several inches shorter than her. He was a man who knew what he wanted, and she trembled at his proximity.

She leaned away from him, awkwardly against the indent of the wall, but this only enabled him to trap her more firmly, one hand on the seat and the other on the wall by her head. Her mouth was dry and she couldn't summon the words to question him. Her pulse sped up for no reason, and her stomach flipped at his nearness.

As his gaze bored into her for a second or two (though it felt like ages) as though he was trying to read her mind, she read his face. There was stubbornness in his usually sweet features, anger on his brow, and... was that a little bit of hurt in his eyes? Had she put that there? But there was also something else in his look. _You're not getting the point, _his eyes were saying._Why aren't you listening to me_? the twist of his mouth asked. The last thing though, that she wasn't getting, lingered in his stare as it flickered to her mouth. There was desperation and longing there, as though he wanted her to understand something that he was unable to convey. She had no time, however, to process any of this before he roughly pressed his lips to hers.

Midna had been kissed before. When she was younger, she had been quite the flirt, much to the despair of her now-dead parents. She hadn't thought much of it then, only as a necessary and vaguely interesting component of keeping the boys always begging for her attention.

This was not like that. As if the touch of his mouth signaled something deep within her, flames erupted in her belly and spread through the rest of her. She forgot how uncomfortable she was in her awkward position. She forgot she was supposed to be trying to suppress her feelings for this man. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, but despite that, she wanted to touch him, she wanted to feel him, she wanted to kiss him back. Instead, she could only freeze there, shocked at his uncharacteristic action.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Link pulled away. They were both breathing heavily, and somewhere she noted that he looked rather dazed. She hardly registered that he was signing, and she was lucky that she even caught it. _I want to stay here with you... but you have to want it too._ Then he turned on his heel and was gone, before she even had fully recomposed himself. As she stared blankly at the door that had shut behind him, she knew the ball was in her court.

It was her turn now.

* * *

Please R&R! And let me know if you'd be interested in reading the next part.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:  
I STILL OWN NOTHING YOU RECOGNIZE.**  
Mkay, here's the promised second installment. I honestly am not too fond of it; parts of it really matched with the tone I was aiming at, and parts of it didn't. _Please tell me what you think,_ especially those of you that looked forward to the second part.

You should **be forewarned**: the T-rating on this is rather strong kiddies, and it's not just for various potty mouths. It's a little more mature than the first one.  
This one's also from Link's POV.  
I've been think about turning this into a fully-fledged story, but probably not until I've finished the one I'm already working on. Let me know what you'd think of that.  
Happy reading!

* * *

Link paused, sitting at a desk in the room assigned to him, realizing that he looked rather ludicrous. A Hylian dressed in Twili gear, a warrior sitting at a desk, his tongue poked out in concentration and an intense look on his brow. He wrinkled his nose and put the quill down, wiping the odd expression off of his face. Learning to write was a difficult task, but he wanted to be able to communicate with people who didn't know sign language. This seemed to be the best way to accomplish that goal. It hadn't been very hard to get Jiko to give him the supplies; the annoying Twili had actually been useful for once.

Of course, holing himself up in his room served more than one purpose. It was much easier to hear himself think here, in the quiet part of the vast castle. Jiko also couldn't follow him here, which was nice. Link suspected that Midna had assigned him on purpose, but the Twili wasn't all bad. When Jiko wasn't talking a mile a minute or trying to steal Link's boots because they weren't frilly enough. Or something.

Most importantly however, was that the Twilight Princess was not nearby. He could hardly force himself to attend council meetings for the last two days, nonetheless run the risk of coming upon her in the halls. Still, he had attended anyway. He wanted to know what was going on in the realm and that was the best way to. The meetings were boring and usually consisted of a bunch of nobles whining, but it was also a good way to pick up the language, though he was afraid his dialect might turn out a little snobbier than he'd hoped. However, he kept his head down the entire meeting, just in case the princess tried to make eye contact, and was the first one out of the room each time the meeting was dismissed.

He sighed, picking up his quill again. He often thought of Hyrule when he was alone like this, wondering how the people were doing, what the weather would be like there. The Twilight realm had no seasons; everything was moderate or average here. Except for the people.

As though to make up for its blandness in some areas, the Twilight Realm had produced a strange cast of characters to fill its land. Its ruler was no exception. Midna was the most annoying, headache-inducing, irritable, and confusing person he had ever met. She was also the most caring, selfless, and beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her sharp tongue and fiery wit were major components of her personality, yes, but behind that was a young woman who was concerned for her people and who devoted her life to her kingdom. Or princessdom. She pretended to be careless and light-hearted, but she was cunning and careful with her nobles, and always looking out for her people. She even attended those pointless meetings every day despite the fact that she was exhausted from all the rest of the work she did.

Link had known as soon as she'd broken that damn mirror that he wasn't going to be able to live in Hyrule without her. Zelda had stood there with him, giving him sympathetic looks as he had frozen there in shock after the mirror shattered. It hadn't occurred to him up until that point that when this was all over, he would lose his dearest friend. He had returned with the princess of Hyrule in a bit of a daze. Then, to distract himself, he'd thrown himself into projects. He helped reconstruct the destroyed Hylian castle. He took charge of creating a new training program for the pathetic bunch that called themselves Hylian soldiers. He'd visited Kakariko, the Zoras' domain, and the Gorons' domain, and helped the sole survivor of Old Kakariko relocate to a safer and less deserted place. But nothing, no matter what he did, filled the emptiness he'd felt.

Eventually, the nobles in Hyrule Castletown had turned their conniving gazes on him. They'd wanted him to become King, a figurehead, a pawn. Zelda had told him that if he wanted it, she would offer him the position or anything else he could ask for. He'd declined, telling her that the simple life was his choice. She'd only smiled in understanding and made him promise to visit as she waved him out on his way back to Ordon at last. He'd arrived just after the birth of Rusl and Uli's second child, and life had continued as though there had never been an invasion.

He had stayed in Ordon for a month. He returned to his simple goat-herding job, but now the slightest noise made him reach for a sword that wasn't there, and he fell asleep with a lantern on every night. Mayor Bo went back to hinting an engagement with Ilia, and the rest of the town expected him to eventually become mayor. However, Rusl and his wise gaze watched him from time to time, occasionally asking him questions Link couldn't- wouldn't- answer.

One day he and Ilia were out in the pasture alone, laying back and peacefully staring up at the sky. The mood was one of silence and familiarity, a link between them that had been there since childhood. She had sat up, looking at him sadly but with her gentle, knowing smile, and simply asked him, "Who is she?" And despite the fact that Ilia was the first one to teach him sign language, Link had no words with which to answer. The next day, he was off on Epona again, riding for Hyrule Castle.

Zelda had been expecting him. She met him at the castle gates, as though she'd known he would be arriving, and when he had desperately started signing what he wanted, she had only smiled and told him to follow her. She'd been researching and preparing ever since Midna had broken the mirror. "I wanted to reward our Hero somehow," she had told him. "I knew that this was the way." Using the rock Zant had embedded in his skull along with some ancient magic, Link could be sent back to the Twilight Realm. Once there, he only had to use the rock in addition to the power of the sols, and he would be sent back. Without further ado, the spell was cast and he was there.

Link had felt a strange sense of homecoming with his first step into the Twilight Realm. Of course, he'd also been arrested right away, but Midna had sorted that out almost immediately. Their relationship picked up right where it had left off, as though she didn't remember that she was the one to sever the connection in the first place. He never asked her about it, afraid of the answer. She seemed to appreciate his presence well enough, and he did what he could to help her fractured nation get back on its feet. Though she would never admit it, Midna worked hard to help her country and it wore her out; he was glad to provide some relief. For some reason, he'd also never told her that he knew the way back to Hyrule, insinuating sometimes the exact opposite.

Soon he was a functioning, if somewhat outcast, part of their society. He still had trouble sometimes understanding what people were saying, and occasionally rude remarks and weird looks were thrown his way, but he didn't mind. He worked hard to understand their culture and their language, ignoring the growing power that was connecting him to the Twilight Princess more and more every day. It didn't help that the style of dress she constantly wore was so damn revealing.

It had been getting difficult to handle. She treated him like she always had; a little aloofly, occasionally letting him see the sensitive side of her, and always teasing. They were still close, but not as close as he wanted. Still, she was a princess and he was a poor foreigner; he felt glad that he had what he did.

However, when she had started taking the senators' demands for a suitor seriously, he had been abruptly slapped in the face with the truth; he could not live in the castle if she was attached to another man. He just couldn't do it. Desperately, he'd set about trying to guess what she felt for him. He hinted at leaving to see if it would spark some sort of reaction, but she only closed him off and brushed it aside. She'd started avoiding him, as though guessing what he wanted and trying to ignore him. He felt her putting up walls. After everything he'd been through, that had only made him upset, and he'd confronted her. It hadn't gone quite as planned. Tempers had risen, reason had fled him, and he'd acted spontaneously for the first time in his life. His inability to speak had frustrated him and his need had gotten the better of him.

Which had resulted in him hiding like a coward, pretending that he had never kissed the Princess of Twilight.

He shook his head at himself, eyeing the illegible scrawl his writing had turned into. Some wielder of courage he was, he thought as he retrieved a fresh sheet of paper. Still, he had managed to get the point across. Whether he remained or not was up to Midna now. She certainly was aware of how he felt.

He sighed uneasily, repeating the row of letters he had just botched. He was working on Twili script; at the moment, there was no need for him to use Hylian writing. Luckily, the two languages weren't very different. He finished another letter, painstakingly slowly, and squirmed in his chair. Sitting still for this long really didn't suit him. Perhaps he'd take a break in a little while and-

"You've been avoiding me." If he had a voice, Link would have let loose a string of startled profanities in that very moment. As it was, he jumped a little in his chair, ruefully noting that he ruined another piece of paper in the process, flinging ink across the page. He swallowed and put his quill down carefully, first glancing at the closed door- how had he not heard her coming? darn Twili and their tendencies to go about barefooted- before slowly turning his chair around to face her.

Midna stared down at him, looking vaguely amused. Her eyes flickered briefly over to the desktop before resting on him again. Why was she staring? "I was under the impression that you weren't fond of some of our styles, Hero. Not that I'm complaining." He glanced down, only to belatedly remember that because he thought he'd be alone in his room all day, he had settled for the lighter, vest-like clothing to wear with the usual pants, leaving his torso almost completely exposed. He flushed slightly.

_What do you want? _he signed. She shrugged.

"We need to talk," she said, and he felt a vague sense of deja vu. He couldn't help but think this was a little hypocritical of her.

_Really?_ he signed back, raising an eyebrow.

"Really," she murmured in response. "I think I should apologize for some of my... recent behavior," she mumbled. He knew she never apologized, and was finding it hard to do so. Still, he couldn't help himself.

_Sorry, what was that? I can't quite hear you_, he said, giving her a dry look. She was humble enough to look a little abashed.

"I know, I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said a lot of things," she said, looking apologetic for about thirty seconds. He mentally sighed. He couldn't stay angry at this woman for long. He was all ready to forgive her when she kept speaking, the look in her eyes changing. "You surprised me, Hero." There was a cunning glint in her gaze that he had learned to be wary of.

_Oh?_ he signed, using the symbol for question as he uneasily sat up straighter in his chair. She eyed him from under her lashes as she leaned back on his bed, hardly a foot away. He focused to keep his eyes on her face.

"Mm-hmm," she intoned. "So I'm sorry for ignoring you." She straightened and leaned toward him. "I know that you hate it when someone does things for no reason. Especially when you didn't deserve it." Her face, along with the rest of her body, was slowly getting closer to him. He stayed very still.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you, too," she continued, her voice low and enticing. Her fingers trailed along his jaw, and then down his neck. "It wasn't very nice of me to take advantage of your silence. Though, I do think you properly revenged yourself for that." Her thumb skirted his lips. He saw her smirk as he swallowed.

"And I'm sorry for lying to you," she whispered into his ear, one leg between his own, her sad excuse of a skirt not leaving much to the imagination. His hand jerked out the sign for question again, and though he wasn't sure if she saw it, she answered it anyway.

"Yes. I lied," she said, lips beneath his ear and against his skin. Her hand had lowered to rest on his bare chest, which felt tight. It was hard to breathe. Her own chest was pressing against his shoulder; she was practically sitting in his lap. He bit his tongue and closed his eyes to keep from doing something he'd regret. "I would care very much if you left the Twilight Realm, Master Link."

_This apology would be a lot more meaningful if you weren't trying to seduce me_, his hands stiffly said for him. She chuckled into his neck.

"Are you complaining?" she asked, stroking the tense muscles of his abdomen. Heavens no, he thought to himself. "Besides, I'm not seducing you. I'm punishing you." He didn't have to ask for her to explain; she read his mind. "I'm punishing you for threatening to leave me," she purred, kissing his jaw. His eyes flickered open, and she saw the flash of discomfort in them. "What?" she asked.

_I can't leave you. I have all of the necessary tools to go... except for a voice to summon the spell,_ he admitted. _I'd need you for that_. She eyed him for a long moment, and he held his breath. Then she smirked, the expression as familiar to him as his own silence.

"I guess I'll just have to punish you for that too," she said, and leaned down to take his mouth.

She was a terrible tease, something he'd have to break her of if he ever planned on kissing her again (which he most definitely did). She barely touched his mouth and then pulled back, before leaning in again. She was straddling his lap now, and her slender fingers wrapped around his wrists, keeping them pinned to the arms of the chair. Her long hair brushed his bare chest, what little of her skin that slid against his own was pleasantly smooth and soft. Even her scent was intoxicating. He shifted in protest at being teased as her kisses deviated from his mouth to explore the rest of his face. Her mouth curved as she looked down at him.

"Something wrong?" she murmured, lips brushing his ear. He stiffened involuntarily, and she paused. "Of course," she breathed as if in epiphany, and he definitely didn't like that tone of voice. "Tell me, my pet," she chuckled, kissing his neck and nipping at his jaw. It was a name she hadn't used for a very long time, not since before Zelda had saved her life. He concentrated on breathing steadily, which was getting increasingly hard to do. The woman was giving him frightening, wonderful, very improper thoughts. "You were always sensitive behind the ears, wolfy," she told him, the smirk clear in her voice. He blinked in confusion, wondering what she meant by that because wasn't a wolf anymore- And then he lost his train of thought as she pressed her lips against the hollow beneath his ear.

Oh gods. His eyes flickered shut at the sensation, made worse by her breathy chuckles at his obvious reaction. He let out a shuddery breath, trying to wrench his head away, but he ended up giving her better access to his weak spot. He hardly even noticed that one of his hands had been freed as her hand trailed to explore his chest. Then her tongue flitted out between her searching lips, and her knuckles deliberately brushed against his taut lower abdomen. Before he could even think about it, a low moan rumbled out of his throat, catching them both by surprise. His eyes snapped open. He'd never made sound before except in the midst of a fight, and he could never quite remember how he'd done it when the blood-letting was over. Midna knew this as well as he did, and she'd been there with him when others had tried to make him speak to no avail. He couldn't form sound voluntarily, but this...

Midna grinned at him, triumphantly, and he had the sudden premonition that Midna was never, ever going to let him live this down. If he'd had a proper voice, he would have groaned in irritation. Instead, he settled for shaking his head slightly. "I'm flattered, Hero," she said, her torso pressing into him. His insides burned. "I thought you only yelled in the heat of battle. Feeling a different heat now, are we?" she purred, mouth everywhere except on his. He glared at her in irritation, unable- or unwilling- to put up with it any longer. He moved to tug her face toward his, but she caught his hand and placed it on the side of her thigh, where her skirt split, and he froze again. He got the vague feeling that she enjoyed startling and unsettling him as her lips curled slyly.

She slid her lips down to his ear again. "Trust me, Hero, my way is much more fun." He wanted to ask exactly which one of them found his helplessness amusing, but couldn't because he was, well, helpless. She was quickly finding which of his buttons to press with that spot on his throat, her fingertips on his stomach, her chest against his. His breath was heavy and he struggled to keep his head from spinning. After wanting her for so long, this was too much. He couldn't see, feel, or hear anything but her and her burning lips and caressing hands...

Then the door shot open.

"Link, you've been in here for hours and it's quite improper to-" Two gazes snapped to the intruder, and Jiko's words died with a strangled, gurgling sound in his throat. Link was frozen, only imagining what they looked like to the attendant. Two panting chests, Link's flushed face, Midna's body draped over his, her fingers on his bare skin, their faces too close... Hastily, his hand fell from her leg as though that would somehow better the situation. Jiko muttered something in the Twili language that Link didn't understand before stuttering out what resembled an apology.

"Oh, heavens. F-forgive me, princess. I didn't- I wasn't- You um, certainly... I should have knocked, and- and-"

"Jiko." Midna cut off the rambling servant, her voice cool and even.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he squeaked.

"Get lost."

"Yes, Your Highness." The servant fled the room without even pausing for a bow, slamming the door shut behind him.

The sound seemed to jar Link back into reality, and he realized, yes, he did have a princess sitting in his lap. They stared at one another for a moment before the both of them started to laugh, his silent chuckles balanced by her free laughter. When they'd caught their respective breaths, Link taking a little longer because of the added weight on his chest- not that he was protesting- Midna spoke up.

"Mm... That's going to get around the castle faster than you can say flying Twili monsters," she mused, absently running her fingers through the hair curling at the back of his neck. Link gave her a dry look.

_Flying Twili monsters_, he signed silently, and she chuckled.

"At that rate, Hero-boy, no one will ever find out," she taunted, but her tone was guileless and full of friendly teasing. She pecked his cheek again.

_Doesn't this mean we should stop before someone else finds us?_ he asked idly, not moving despite his query.

"I figure that if there are going to be rumors, they might as well be true," she said, a wicked grin on her face. He shook his head.

_You're unbelievable_, he informed her, as she watched his hands out of the corner of her eye while she shifted her kisses closer to his mouth.

"You love it," she murmured slyly before pressing her lips to his. And though Link was effectively distracted for a while after that, he couldn't help but agree.

* * *

**THE END.  
**Steal my work I steal your face. Or something equally intimidating.  
Please Review! (It's the only reason I keep writing. xD)  
Thanks for reading,  
~MachStorm


End file.
